“In the end the nagging voices broke him down more completely than the boots and fists of the guards. He became simply a mouth that uttered, a hand that signed, whatever was demanded of him. His sole concern was to find out what they wanted him to confess, and then confess it quickly, before the bullying started anew. He confessed to the assassination of eminent Party members, the distribution of seditious pamphlets, embezzlement of public funds, sale of military secrets, sabotage of every kind. He confessed that he had been a spy in the pay of the Eastasian government as far back as 1968. He confessed that he was a religious believer, an admirer of capitalism, and a sexual pervert. He confessed that he had murdered his wife, although he knew, and his questioners must have known, that his wife was still alive. He confessed that for years he had been in personal touch with Goldstein and had been a member of an underground organization which had included almost every human being he had ever known. It was easier to confess everything and implicate everybody” (200).
In this passage we get to see how beaten Winston really is. In sudden turn of events, Winston starts confessing to everything, even things that are not true.
I think we get to see how human Winston really is. He is reverted into an almost childlike state due to the constant nagging and threats, as well as the beatings. These voices have tormented him so much that he is now trying so hard to just get away. He is admitting to everything they’re asking him and just following all their orders. Even things that he would not confess during
torture he was confessing now.
Winston even starts creating lies such as trying to assassinate Party members and embezzling public funds. These first set of lies states that he was trying to overthrow the party within the system. Winston then says that he’s been a spy for the Eastasian government from as far back as 1968. This lie tries to make it seem like he had partnered with an opposing nation to try to take down the party. His next set of lies/confessions is that he was a religious believer, an admirer of capitalism, and a sexual pervert. In these lies it seems like Winston resolved to humiliating his own self to seem like he has nothing to keep secret.
His last lie was the most illogical of all, stating that him and every human he had ever known was partners with Goldstein. It seems like Winston was trying to place the blame on everyone else so he could seem more innocent. In this way he seems like a child that doesn’t want to face the consequence of breaking something in a house. Winston only wants the questions to end.
This is a very nice quote. I must have glanced over this part. This is very crucial to the story plot and thus the commentary is very crucial. Winston is in a time in his life where he is just giving up on being an adamant representative for the truth because he is being physically and mentally tortured. He creates little and big lies just to get O'Brien and the Party off of his back, a result of being in so much pain and solitude. I think a lot of people would start making up shizzle in a predicament like that. Because he did that, it built the grounds for the Party to fully convert him, making him believe the lies that he tells himself and the lies that the Party tells him about his past, history, and reality. I like that you said, "His last lie was the most illogical of all, stating that him and every human he had ever known was partners with Goldstein," because it's pretty obvious that he had no contact whatsoever with Goldstein. Goldstein is actually presented as an abstract figure rather than a plausible and tangible character in the book. Overall, I like your analysis and commend you on your work.
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